Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-09-22

water That day at the funeral; SO ne goes
over ter comfort him. He took Bill's
right hand in his an put his left arm
round his neck, sayin', old boy, it grieves
me ter see yor SO down spirited. Calm
yourself! Cheer Ep! Why, I've buried
four wives o. my own already, an I've
got another [ expect to bury soon; now
amt shed tear yet-never expect ter.
Yer see Teller has jes' got ter git things
like this. Cheer up! Things amt bad
ez they might be; jes' think what I've
gone through!
"Well that did Bill powerful heap o.
good. It made him feel mortally 'shemed
o. himself, for Bob had buried four wives,
moderate good ones, too, an he had a
sick one at home; but Bob had never shed
tear. No indeed; he were too much of
a man ter weep over it; he never lowed
his feeiin's ter git the upper hand o. him.
He bore it like man.
"Thar ives four chiIlun left Bill, an he
were lookin' ter them fer comfort. The
names o. the boys were William, Henry,
Jim Henry an Richard Henry-all
had the samemiddle name. His gals
name Nancy Ann.
''Little did Bill think that they were
goin' ter be taken away fore he was.
But, stranger, thar amt nothin' out o.
danger.
"Well, William Henry he came ter a
suddin end. Yer see, him and Tim Henry
went out huntin' one day when Bill were
way frum home. Jim Henry came back
fore William Henry. Jim was hungry
an built up fire in the stove an got
himself somethin' to eat. His powder
had got wet in the rain that mo-nin', an
arter the fire had gone mostly down he
put his powder in the oven ter dry, fer
the oven we're barely warm.
"WeIl, presently, by-and-by. long come
William Henry, all wet an hungry; so he
builds up fire in his stove not KNOWN
that the powder had mortgage on it
a-fOre him. Jim had gone out to ketch a
horse an didn't know nothin' bout Viii
liam Henry bein' at home at the time.
Now, it didn't take the stove long ter git
heated, an when it did git heated the
powder went off, o. course; SO did the
stove, accompanied by William Henry.
Bill were jes' comm in the front gate at
the house, and were in time ter see the
kitchin go up. Then Jim Henry came
up, fer he had heerd the noise, an lowed
as how he had intended ter tell William
Henry bout the powder; but 'twerant no
use ter tell William Henry bout it then,
fer he weren't inn heari'. Well, some O.
him came down an some o. him didn't;
we buried what did come down. Yer see,
Bill never did have but three boys, an
arter William Henry quit him he didn't
hcv but two left, you know.
"O' co'rse they all mourned William
Henry, an looked upon themselves as
bein' in a mighty bad fix. But this is a
old r
People think they's in mighty bad fix
till they git in q wUss, an then they wish
they were in the tother fix. Now they
blamed Jim Henry no little fer putin
that powJer in the stove; but they didn't
get ter blame him long. Yer knew that
were mighty bad year for cyclones; the
air were full o. them. Well, Jim Henry
were on the poarch one day, and he heerd
an awful cuttin' up o. the weather out
side, an it were close; so he jes' stepped
out ter see eff it weren't cyclone comm.
He were right. It were a cyclone O. the
very wuss kind, and he were jes' in time
ter make close connection. 1t jes' kinder
lifted him up. yer know, an sot him on a
barb-wire fence, some distance off, but his
pants weren't made O. sheet iron, and he
weren't seated comfortable; so he died.
Richard Henry were the only 500 left
Bill, but he we're showed under two
months afterward, an they ain't seen nor
heerd from him since.
''That left bill Nancy Ann, ez likely a
gal ez ever breathed air. He were toto
tally wrapped up in that thar gal. She
were his light an sunshine fer six weeks,
an he lowed that Providence would spare
her; but Providence didn't do no SIGH
thing. She jes' like all gals o. her age,
got notions in her head, an ups an downs
that she were goin' to marry. Her head
were sOt on marryin', an all that Biily
could do didn't hev no effect, Except ter
make her wuss. She were determined to
marry old Sol Hudson's boy. Ez I've
done said, Nancy Ann were a likely gal,
but Soils boy held his head purity high,
an no doubt he did hev little the rise
O. her.
"But that didn't make no difference
ter Nancy Ann, she were bent on havin'
him an hev him she would. Soils boy
said that he wouldn't marry no gal with
red hair an freckled face, an Nancy
heerd bout it. Co'rse she didn't like it,
fer she had both, an it made her all the
more determined to ketch him. AM be-
sides, Mark, Soils boy, had good horse
this made him the more attractive; fer eff
thar is anything in this werld that takes
womans eye it is a fine horse an buggy.
Well, Mark didn't pay 40 'tention at first
to what Nancy said or did, but by an by,
she got him to kinder like her. Purity
soon she roped him in-that is, got him
ter promise ter marry her.
"The day were sot fer them ter marry,
but some how or other Mark lost count
an forgot ter go. Nancy were rugged
out in her best an Iookin' her purtiest,
an when Mark didn't put in his appear
ance she got uneasy. So they went after
Mark an found him out plowin' in the
field. He seemed ter u little surprised
though | don't think he keered much, no
how; he promised ter come the next day
an fix it up all right.
swell, he did come, but 'tweren't no
use, Nancy were dead. Yer see it give
her mighty back-set when she heard
that her lover had gone out to pillow in
stead o'comin' ter the weddin', and she
commenced to git wuss an wuss, an
'tweren't long fore she took faintin'
spell an died.
Poor Bill, be were wantin' ter 90 too.